Taking the Step

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martian Luther King, Jr.

I can't believe I've been in Uganda for 6 months already - half of a year! Somedays it feels like I've been here forever and other days it feels like I just got here. I came to Uganda initially to teach for the Fisher family. I planned to teach for a whole school year, knowing that there was a possibility it could be shorter depending on the Fisher's adoption process. Once I finally touched down on African soil I found out the family was going to be leaving Uganda sooner than I thought. I will admit I panicked a little. Here I was, in a foreign country - knowing no one except for this family I met via Skype a couple months before I arrived. I had about 4 months to settle in, teach, and figure out my next plan. Was I going to leave when the family left? Or was I going to stay? As time went on I didn't even question leaving early. I knew the Lord wanted me to stay. My return flight was set for the end of May and I didn't want to change it.
The past two months have been a roller coster of emotions. Within this time I finished up teaching with the Fisher kids, said my goodbyes to them, searched high and low for a place to live, and visited many different organizations to find a new ministry to put my heart into. Coming to Uganda alone was hard, but when I got here I immediately felt comfortable calling the Fishers family. They welcomed me with open arms and taught me so much about putting all my trust into the Lord. There is no way I could have survived these months on my own without having them along side of me while I took my first steps into this new culture.
As time went on, and the Fishers were putting together their final days here in Uganda, I frantically ran around Jinja trying to find where the Lord wanted me to go. I needed a place to call home and also a ministry to pour my heart into. Soon, I began to doubt my decision in staying. If I couldn't find a home and a ministry...did the Lord really want me to stay - or was it just a selfish desire? I struggled with this for some time. The search for a home was a long process, BUT right in the knick of time I found a home. The Lord came through with the perfect house for rent. It was the sign I was praying for. I then felt confident that Uganda is where I was supposed to be.
Home - check. Ministry - well, not quite yet.
So, it's the beginning of January and I have a home...but what am I doing here? This is the question I asked myself for many many days. I tried my hardest to venture out to at least one organization in Jinja every day after the Fishers left. I would pray before I left asking God to tell me where He wanted me. That when I walked into the place He wanted me, I'd know as soon as my foot set into the compound. After countless tears and angry pleads, I finally found where He wants me to be. It has been in my eyesight every since I've been here. For the next 4 months I will be working with the Afyao team out in the village of Naigobya. If you recognize the name of this village it's probably because I often mentioned it in my posts from the beginning of my journey. This is the village where the Hillcrest team, the Fisher family, and I helped build the playground at St. Paul's Primary School. This school is made up of many caring teachers. I have the opportunity, over the next 4 months, to work with the teachers in teaching them English. My hope is to teach the teachers in a way that they can bring the skills into their classrooms to help aide the students. In Naigobya the main language is Lusoga, but all schooling is to be done in English. Every exam is written in English, there for the students must be fluent in reading it to be able to understand the questions. There are only a few teachers at this school that fluently speak English, the rest can speak the basics. If the teacher can't speak it, then you know the students aren't. This is why it is so important that we get the ball rolling on phonics training. School starts next week monday [February 2], which is when I plan to go and meet all the teachers. I will hopefully start teaching the following week, once I sit down the headmaster to make a schedule. I will be out in Naigobya 2-3 days a week. As for the other days, I will use them for preparing lessons, cleaning, running errands, and visiting other organizations within the area.
I am so excited for this new journey. Thank you all for standing behind me through this time of transition. Your prayers have been a huge blessing!! If you have any further questions about my time left in Uganda, please ask! I would love to share.

Grace & Peace,
Kendall